Faith through history

Mendicant Orders

The emergence of Mendicant Orders in the Middle Ages signified a paradigm shift in the living out of consecrated life in the Church. From the third century, consecrated life was lived in monasteries. However, traditional monasticism began to be challenged by many, who advocated a new form of consecrated life, which came to be called […]

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1109-67) “The Mirror of Charity”

Also called Ailred of Rievaulx, and known as the “Bernard of the North,” Aelred was the Abbot of Rievalux, one of the earliest Cistercian foundations in England. He entered this monastery in 1133 and soon became the novice master and wrote his first treatise the “Mirror of Charity” in 1142/43, an important spiritual treatise summing […]

St Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

“We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home” (St Hildegard of Bingen). Hildegard of Bingen, also known as “Sibyl of the Rhine” was a German Benedictine Abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, mystic and visionary. She is […]

Noah’s Ark Hugh of St Victor (1096-1141)

Little is known about Hugh’s life. About 1115 he entered St Victor, the abbey of Augustinian Canons in Paris and lived there till his death and made a name for himself as philosopher, theologian and mystical writer. He is sometimes spoken of as “alter Augustinus” because of his great familiarity with the writings of Augustine. […]

St Norbert of Xanten (c. 1080-1134)

One of the creative ways of responding to the crisis in medieval monasticism was the vita apostolica, groups of people who wanted to follow the way of life of Jesus and the apostles, who wandered about in simplicity and poverty and preached the message of the Kingdom of God. Many felt that life in the […]

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Bernard was born of noble parents at Fontaines near Dijon in France and entered the recently-founded monastery of Citeaux, in 1112 together with 30 other young noblemen of the place, including his own brothers. Citeaux was the birthplace of the Cistercian Order which was growing fast and the abbot of Citeaux asked Bernard to choose […]

CISTERCIANS

The Cistercian Order or Order of White Monks is so called because of the mother house at Citeaux, France, founded in 1098 by Robert of Molesme who sought to establish a stricter form of Benedictinism than any then existing. The Cluniac reform of Benedictinism was an earlier attempt to go back to the strict observance […]

Peter Abelard (1079—1142)

What is famously known about Peter Abelard is his legendary love affair with his attractive and brilliant student Heloise d’Argenteuil which led to his castration at the instigation of Heloise’s uncle and guardian, Fulbert, Canon of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris who lost patience when Abelard would not choose between marriage to his niece and […]

Page 8 of 10« First «...6 789 10 »

Pope: Red Cross’ humanitarian work shows that fraternity is possible

New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity